A biker who pulled “hair-raising” wheelies, steered his motorcycle with his thighs and took a selfie while riding on the M6 has been jailed for eight months.
Pawel Zietowski, 27, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving after an unmarked police car captured his antics on one of Britain’s busiest motorways on June 3.
As well as catching the car paint-sprayer travelling at speeds of up to 117 miles per hour, the video also shows him rummaging through his backpack to find a mobile phone.
Zietowski told probation officers he was practising stunt-riding before he was pulled over by police near Yarnfield, Staffordshire, the Press Association reported.
Passing sentence at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, Judge David Fletcher described the footage of Zietowski’s riding as “hair-raising”.
“I wanted that to be played in open court because I wanted to be sure that you had seen it,” the judge told Zietowski.
“You were showing off,” the judge added. “It was clearly driving which was over a lengthy period of time, involving speeds of up to 117mph, involving you twice removing the backpack.
“You were pulling wheelies on a number of occasions and at one point you were standing up with no hands on the handlebars. This was a piece of appalling driving. You say you were involved with some sort of group relating to stunt-type driving.
“If that is the case then there are places and times for that sort of stunt-riding to take place, that place is not the M6 at two o’clock in the afternoon with lots of other vehicles on the road.”
In addition to an eight month prison sentence, Zietowski was also handed a 28 month driving ban.
Inspector Sion Hathway of the Central Motorway Police Group said “such dangerous riding” would not be tolerated on Britain’s roads.
“Zietowski showed a blatant disregard for the rules of the road, and fellow motorists,” Hathway said.
“His antics could have easily resulted in tragedy.”